Behind/Beyond belongingness: Toward an architectural approach enhancing situated belongingness through embracing, valuing & (re)acting to stories

Abstract

How does one belong? Belongingness is a complex notion binding Place and self that matter to be investigated in architecture. To be addressed in this field, the notion should be deemed beyond a common and singular perception of the definition to acknowledge the particularities of each situation. Hence, the thesis draws on Situated knowledges theory to tackle belongingness and address the Place in its whole complexity. From both a literature study and an in-situ application, the thesis investigates an approach that can enable the mapping and design for belongingness through the research question: How can architecture enhance situated belongingness through embracing, valuing, and (re)acting to stories? Belonging is first defined theoretically through study from social sciences to architecture, and addressed in relation to Situated Knowledges, allowing for belongingness to be acknowledged regarding connectivity and interactions and go beyond dichotomies of human/object. Situated belongingness is then explored in praxis through the investigation of a suitable architectural approach giving a direction to search and design for belongingness. The five steps approach is developed conjointly with an application to understand what is behind belongingness in the context of the transitional network around the Folkets Hus in Gothenburg, Sweden. The thesis emphasizes the necessity of a complex approach as well as a more suitable definition of belongingness for architectural praxis referring to one being part of a system. By working from an empathetical position ‘within’ the location, the thesis addresses the relevance of first decomposing the location through the representation of specific agents’ (hi)stories, to later reconstruct an understanding of the situation as a connected network and value the agents that matter in the local belongingness. The research highlights the design praxis as a (re)action to the found situated knowledge, allowing the design answer to be specific and contingent on the situation. Finally, the master’s thesis opens a critical discussion regarding the architectural practice and the element behind its understanding.